FLORA OF McNAB's ISLAND, HALIFAX, N. 8. — BARBOUR. 557 



notice, however, that while you had seven stamens present, often 

 with eight petals ; in the case of those with eight stamens the 

 reverse did not hold good. Nearly always when eight stamens 

 were present, eight petals and eight sepals were. Those in 

 which the stame'ns were below seven, had petals and sepals 

 usually normal, and no corresponding decrease in numbers. 



Oxalidacece. 



Oxalis acetosella. White wood-sorrel. — The number of 

 specimens examined ran into hundreds, but I have lost the exact 

 number. On going through a very large number I found so 

 very little variatioUj^ so directed my attention to the descriptions 

 of this plant in iloras and compared them with what I noticed 

 for myself, and I think that a modification of those descriptions 

 is desirable, for they do not appear to be full enough or accurate 

 enough in some respects, judging from the results I have ob- 

 tained after examining at least four hundred or more plants. 



The following is the flora's description : — -Low herbs with 

 an acid juice and alternate compound leaves, the three leaves 

 obcordate, and drooping in the evening; flowers long, heter- 

 ogonus; sepals, obtuse; petals, pink, rarely white, veined with 

 deep pink ; capsule, subglobose, glabrous ; seeds, ovoid, longitud- 

 inally grooved. 



It is the petals which need a modified description: — Calyx 

 and corolla regiilar. Petals, unequally divided apex, or as an 

 alternate description, are unequally cordate. Petals may be 

 white, but more usually they are tinted with ])urplish-pink, due 

 to the ramifications of veins. The veins are of a darker purple- 

 pink than are the petals, usually seven to eight in number, 

 never more on each petal ; they start from an orange-yellow 

 corona situated close to the base of each petal. 



The remaining description of the flower is an ample one, 

 and does not appear to require to be changed. 



